LESTER PRAIRIE, MN  The $30,000 purchase price was only a part of the total cost to acquire the former hotel property at 100 Maple Street South, the Lester Prairie City Council learned Tuesday.

Fire Chief Jim Hoof presented information about the cost of asbestos remediation, based on a report prepared by Applied Environmental Services.

Hoof said it will cost about $34,000 to do the abatement, noting that this estimate may be high, and the actual cost may be lower.

The council agreed the asbestos will need to be removed regardless of the next steps, and it authorized staff to move ahead with the abatement process.

The next decision before the council will be whether or not to burn the structure prior to demolition.

Hoof said this would be a good training exercise for firefighter 1 and 2 classes, and would reduce the cost of demolition.

The city received an $86,750 estimate from Litzau Excavating for demolition of the structure if it is not burned. The price includes all demolition and removal of materials, filling in and leveling the site.

Litzau also provided an estimate of $71,426 for demolition if the fire department burns the structure first.

The city also received a bid of $53,792 from Henning Excavating for demolition if the structure is burned first.

The council will make a decision on the next steps for the property at a future council meeting.

The council acquired the property for future development, possibly for a senior housing or assisted living facility, although only preliminary discussions have taken place so far.